Koronis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the issuance of US Patent No. 7,244,732 that discloses the composition of KP-1461 - the company's lead antiviral therapeutic currently in a phase 2 trial for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

The issued patent, titled "Prodrugs of Heteroaryl Compounds", covers the use and composition of KP-1461, an oral, small molecule antiviral therapeutic that works by Viral Decay Acceleration (VDA). VDA moves the virus to the point of collapse by increasing its naturally high rate of mutation. Drugs based on VDA, such as KP-1461, cause random errors throughout the viral genome at a rate that becomes unsustainable by the viral population and eventually drives it to the point of extinction. In vitro experiments have demonstrated the VDA mechanism, and scientists anticipate that similar findings will be noted in clinical trials of HIV-infected patients.

"It is significant to receive this first patent for a viral decay acceleration molecule, KP-1461, which is truly an innovative antiviral therapeutic approach unlike anything on the market or in development," said Donald Elmer, chairman and interim chief executive officer of Koronis. "This extends our strong patent portfolio for VDA that now includes a total of seven issued US patents."

KP-1461 is currently in a phase 2a clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety, efficacy and tolerability when KP-1461 is administered as monotherapy in treatment-experienced patients. The study is enrolling individuals who harbour significant resistance to conventional antiretroviral therapies and is conducted at academic and community-based clinical research centres in the United States. Preliminary results from the Phase 1b safety and pharmacology trial in therapy-experienced HIV-infected patients have demonstrated KP-1461 to be safe and well tolerated.

Koronis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company developing anti-viral therapeutics based on a novel mechanism, Viral Decay Acceleration (VDA). In addition to the company's lead product candidate, KP-1461 for AIDS/HIV, the company has products in development for the treatment of hepatitis C and RSV.